It’s been nearly 14 years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 claimed thousands of lives. Besides those first few years immediately following the attacks, I have felt safe taking flights in the United States.

Maybe the comforting notion that our airports and airplanes are safe is a mistake, when recent undercover penetration tests of Transportation Security Administration screening agents resulted in a failure rate greater than 95 percent.

First reported by ABC News on June 2, the TSA failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by the Inspector General’s Red Team to sneak weapons and simulated explosives past TSA agents and the security devices in use at airports around the country.

The Red Team, part of The Department of Homeland Security, exploited “vulnerabilities caused by human and technology-based failures,” according to DHS Inspector General John Roth.

Photo Credit: Graphic by Adrian Discipulo

“I’m pissed off I’ve been putting the weed up my ass,” said comedian and political commentator Bill Maher regarding the TSA failures on the June 5 episode of his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

The one thing we want from federal agents in important places like airports, is simply to do their jobs. I understand that the current technology in use by TSA agents may be flawed or contain deficiencies that make those jobs more difficult.

Now, TSA and Homeland Security officials are claiming that the report is not as shocking as it seems, given that the Red Team is trained to exploit any and every vulnerability in TSA protocols.

If the Red Team knows these vulnerabilities, the TSA should too.

The last time I traveled I was randomly screened three times. I remember thinking the agents were on top of things, as I was patted down and told to remove my shoes for a swab test. After the return flight, TSA separated me to inspect my luggage.

At the end of the day, people are going to keep flying and it will be business as usual.

What, do you think people are going to start taking trains more often? Look what happened with the Amtrak recently. Drive cross-country? Ain’t nobody got time for that!